Drink dispenser



Nov. 21, 1961 H. K. JOHNSON DRINK DISPENSER 3 Sheets-Sheet l Filed Sept.l5, 1957 INVENTOR.

Nov. 21,

Filed Sept.

H. K. JOHNSON DRINK DISPENSER 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

Nov. 21, 1961 H. K. JOHNSON 3,009,337

DRINK DISPENSER Filed Sept. 13, 1957 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 www...

INVENTOR.

United States Patent O 3,009,337 DRINK DISPENSER Herman K. Johnson,Grand Haven, Mich., assigner to The Bastian-Blessing Company, Chicago,Ill., a corporation of Iliinois Filed Sept. 13, 1957, Ser. No. 683,758Claims. (Cl. 62-390) This invention lrelates to a method and apparatusfor dispensing of refrigerated liquids such as soda water, plain waterand syrups in various combinations to provide plain and mixed drinks,with or without ice cream, at a unitary station on a soda fountain orbeverage dispenser. This application is a continuation-impart of myearlier filed case Serial No. 377,433, now Patent No. 2,814,184 andrelates in part also to subject matterdisclosed in application SerialNo. 634,472 and Patents No. 2,657,952 and No. 2,674,263, reference towhich is hereby made for better understanding of this invention.

In soda fountains and other similar beverage dispensing installationsdraft arms are employed vto handle the different beverages served, andthe draft arms are usually grouped at one convenient location or stationwhere suitable supply connections and drain facilities can be arranged.Heretofore, the draft arm stations have included draft heads, includingvalves and conduits therein, subjected to the Warmth of the surroundingatmosphere, and the exposed surfaces are carefully contoured, finishedand polished to provide a pleasing appearance at a substantial expense.In many instances the draft arms extend upwardly from the top or countersurface of the cabineton individual pedestals with depending nozzlesdisposed over the drain as supported on a cabinet having refrigeratedstorage spaces in which the cooling coils for the beverage liquids aredisposed. Another instance, as described in said patent No. 2,814,184,is one in which the cooling coils for the liquid beverages are containedin a housing located above the counter of the cabinet and the draft armheads are short and extend only a short distance from the housing.

In both instances handles are provided to operate the valves in thedraft heads while a glass is either set or held by hand below thedepending nozzle. In those instances where the glass is held below thedraft nozzle, Itwo hands are required to draw the drink, one to operatethe handle and the other to hold the glass. If the glass is set upon thegrille of the drain, so that one hand operation may be had of the valve,the drop of the carbonated water from the nozzle to the glass knocks outa great deal of valuable carbonation and often renders the drink veryfiat. In each instance physical effort or carbonation is wasted. n

Moreover, with continued striving for absolute cleanliness, top qualityand ease of operation in the dispensing of beverages, it is mostdesirable to have a draft station which, is easily kept spotlessly cleanwith a minimum of effort; provides a carbonated drink of maximumcarbonation and a mixed drink of uniform quality from first to last andover long periods of repeated use; and, in operation, not only minimizesmanual movements of the operator but induces such movements andpositions of the hands and the glass that a drink of maximum qualitywill be served each time. In addition to these important consid-`erations, an excellent draft arm station must have compactness;longevity of operation that is free of service calls; easy access toimportant parts for quick service and maintenance when required; and, bepleasing in appearance for the complete satisfaction of a persons owningand operating a soda fountain or a beverage dispenser.

In the fulfillment of these considerations and others as hereinafter setforth, the invention is characterized by a method of dispensing and aconstruction in which all the ingredients of the drink are not onlycooled to a prede- 3,009,331 Patented Nov. 21:, 19.61

2 termined temperature just above 32 F. but this temperature ismaintained clear to the outlet ports of all conduits carrying same sothat the very vfirst drink` and the last drink of a series of drinksdrawn are the same regardless of the rapidity with which they are drawn.

The invention is further characterized by an upstanding refrigerateddraft station completely enclosed in a housing having a smooth surfacethat is easily cleaned merely by wiping andl wherein the only exposedelements that come in con-tact with the liquids being dispensed aretransparent Lucite nozzles which can be readily removed, washed andimmediately returned whenever desired, the inside surfaces of thenozzles otherwise being continually washed clean with plain orcarbonated water and without any syrup cominginto contact therewith;

A further object of the invention is fulfilled in that a drink can bedrawn with one hand operation with the glass held by hand tat itspreferredv position while the drink is being drawn, the preferredposition being required when the operator draws the drink byone-handedoperation in which the drawn liquid leavingthe nozzle flows down theinclined wall ofthe glass.

Another object of the invention is to provide onehanded time-savingcontrolsy forthe drawing of a single drink or the simultaneous drawingof two drinks by the same operator under conditions which assure minimumloss of carbonation.

The invention alsocontemplates a draft arm station where there are nomoving parts within the housing of the station downstream of the coolingcoils other than :adjustable orifices at the outlet ports of the liquidcooling conduits that are readily accessible at the nozzlejit beingdesirable to embed all refrigerated and refrigerating coils and headscompletely within the heat insulating-medium withinwhich they arerefrigerated and isolated from contact with the air. VEven the outletports are preferably, shielded from ambient atmosphere temperatures bycollector members or nozzles of l-ow heat conductivity.

The invention is also characterized by minimizing counter spacerequirements to the utmost by locating any and all parts requiringmaintenance and service behind an access panel below the the counterlevel at the draft arm station. Another object of the invention is toprovide a refrigerated carbonated water dispensing coil which is open toatmosphere through a flow-retarding` device which serves both as ametering orifice and as a self-closing outflow relief valve maintaininga reduced or low back-pressure upon carbonated water in the coil.

A further object of the invention is to provide a multioutlet coolerdraft station for soda fountains and drink dispensers which can beoperated simultaneously without appreciable loss of refrigeration orinterference be-4V tween operators, it being appreciated that twooperators with a glass in each hand can fill all four of the glassessimultaneously, if desired, from four draft positions.

Another object of the invention is to reduce the tube size of eachrefrigerated beverage coil to increase the ultimate heat exchangecontact area for the liquids supplied to each draft head so that drinkscan be drawn with greater ow in less time with uniform refrigeratedcoolness.

A further object of the invention is to save the expense of metal, andits shaping and finishing operations on irregularly contoured elementsheretofore employed in draft arms. This isaccomplished Iby enclosing allparts having irregular contours, Without any external machining orfinishing, within a smooth housing which is easily cleaned and polished,and where refrigeration coils can be adhered to the parts as by brazingfory the refrigera-y tion of liquids present in these liquid-bearingparts also.

A further'object of the invention is to provide a fixed orifice or areadily controlled adjustment for varying proportions of a mixed drinkwhich is accessible from the outside yet is adequately concealed toavoid tampering except by those authorized to make adjustments.

Another object of the invention is to provide a supply of carbonatedwater which is substantially constant both as to pressure, fiow, andcarbonation to provide a uniform drink, and, in which unabsorbed CO2 gaspresent in the carbonator is rebubbled through the water therein duringoff periods of water injection.

These being among the objects of the invention, other and furtherobjects will become apparent from the drawings, the description relatingthereto and the appended claims:

In the drawings:

FIG. l is a perspective view of the improved draft station embodying theinvention;

FIG. 2 is a vertical section through the embodiment shown in FIG. 1taken through one of the heads; showing the coil bank, head, housing,and the glass hand draft control means in their preferred arrangement;

FIG. 3 is a front elevational view of the draft station shown in FIG. 1with the lower Ifront portion of the access panel removed to expose thevalves and refrigeration controls and connections;

FIG. 4 is a top plan view of a coil bank, its connection and therelative positions of the tubing and draft heads as arranged beforeinsertion in the housing and as located in the housing when finallyembedded in insulating material;

FIGS. 5, 8 and 9 are large vertical sections through the several draftheads employed to dispense a plain water mixed drink, a carbonated mixeddrink, and coarse and fine streams of carbonated water, respectively;

FIG. 6 is a cut-away view of the arrangement employing a micro-switchcontrol in its preferred form for actuating solenoid valves disposed inthe liquid dispensing lines; and

FIG. 7 is a schematic layout of the various components as connected inthe preferred embodiment of the invention.

By way of generalizing salient features of the invention for a betterunderstanding of the description that is to follow it will be noted thatseveral draft heads are supplied with carbonated water from thecarbonator through a iiow control valve located ahead of a refrigeratedcoil, from thence through the coil and through flow metering devices inthe heads and out through the draft nozzle. In brief, preferably thevalve controls are located ahead of or upstream to the refrigeratedcoils although same may be located in the station housing above theheads if the sacrifice of space and refrigeration is not objected to aswhen there is no room below the station. Preferably, the valve controlsare located in a base below the draft station, which is generallyrefrigerated, and where the valves are readily connected, and servicedwithout breaking surface in the draft station housing for access. Atthis location the valves can be operated either electrically or manuallyand both methods are shown in the drawings.

The beverage carrying refrigerated coils may be made of tubing or diestamped metal cold plates. They are preferably pre-constructed ofstainless steel and assembled in a plate or coil bank with proper bendsand configurations for the ends to be connected to the outlets of thevalves in predetermined relation either before or after the draft armstation is installed. Flexible conduits of a plastic material such aspolyethylene are connected to the inlets of the valves to carry,interchangeably if desired, plain water, carbonated -water or syrup tothe respective valves.

Preferably, all draft heads are substantially identical in theirfundamental construction and vary only as to outlet fittings or nozzlesfor different liquids that are to be dispensed. At any head, the centeropening can deliver a hard or fine stream of carbonated water or a syrupand the second opening spaced therefrom can deliver plain water or acoarse stream of carbonated water, and in any combinations, dependingupon the connection made at the inlets of the valves. It is preferred tohave the second or outermost opening in the head carry carbonated orplain water so that the inside of the transparent Lucite houle iscontinually washed with clear water. If only one of the heads is forplain water only, a syrup valve for that head can be omitted and onlythe plain water will be dispensed at that particular head. However,changes can be made from time to time as desired and a Lucite nozzle orcollector which is disposed at the outlets of each head surrounds andencloses the metal fittings to provide not only a uniform finishingelement for appearances sake but a very effective shield against theloss of refrigeration from the metal parts during stand-by perods.

The danger of accidentally or purposely varying the proportions of amixed drink by a partially opened handoperated valve is eliminated inthe present invention since the flow control valve is either open orshut and the flow of the drink ingredients is not only controlled bymetered orifices, but even the outgoing carbonated water pressure ismade substantially uniform by the use of an expansion tank arrangementwhereby the pressure of the CO2 gas that is compressed more rapidly thanit is absorbed, when replenishing water is injected into the carbonator,is substantially leveled off and any excess gas is fed to the syruptanks at pressure for the purposes set forth in said Patent No.22,674,263 or rebubbled back through the water in the carbonator duringthe off cycle.

In the present invention, where the carbonated water is underrefrigeration up to and through the outlet nozzle itself, the valving ofthe ow of carbonated water is provided ahead of the coils where same mayoccupy otherwise unused space instead of being disposed out in the openair where refrigeration can be lost. The temperature of the carbonatedwater is retained at 40 F. or less and therefore while the carbonatedwater is resting in the refrigerated coils the pressure thereon can begreatly reduced, in some instances to atmospheric pressure, without thecarbonated water losing much of its charge or bubbling in therefrigerated conduit. However, since the carbonated water should bemetered while it is flowing when the fiow con-trol valve opens, it isdesirable to have some back pressure at the nozzle and this can beaccomplished by a flow restricting orifice or by a spring loaded valveopening with the flow of carbonated water.

Referring now to the drawings in further detail, a draft station 10 isshown in FIG. l which comprises a housing 11 provided with anoverhanging portion 12 that has fastened thereto depending nozzles 13located over a drain 14 with sufficient space therebetween toaccommodate soda glasses of maximum height. On the vertical wall 15 ofthe housing just below the nozzles 13 are provided a series of fingerpress areas 16 whose individual identity is indicated with suffixes ofletters a to d inclusive hereinafter. These finger press areas formed byreversely offset concentric rings (FIG. 6) serve as waterproof coversfor switches 17 located behind them which are also identified by likesuffix letters. The switches are preferably micro-switches and aremounted upon the plate 18 in which the finger press areas are integrallyformed. The mounting is accomplished by a securement at one end to aflexible bracket 19 and at the other end by a screw and springarrangement 19a by which the switch button 19b can be moved to the exactposition when the finger press area 16 is touched gently (FIG. 3).

The switches 17 control solenoid valves 110 (FIG. 3) also identified bysuffix letters individually, which valves are located behind the accesspanel Z1 near the bottom of the wall 15 at the rear edge of the draingrille 14. Push buttons or rod 22 (FIG. 2) may supplement the switches17 for the control of the solenoid valves either as alternate oraccompanying equipment. The draft head is supported on the counter top38 of a soda fountain 23 that has fruit jar rails Z4 on opposite sidesof the drain board.

Referring now to the draft heads and their particular construction asshown in FIGS. 5, 8 and 9, it will be observed from FIGS. l, 3 and 4that there are provided on this particular embodiment four draft heads25, with letter suflixes identifying each draft head individually. Head25a (FIG. 9) is arranged to provide `a coarse stream of carbonated waterand a soft stream of carbonated water dependent upon which switchcontrol 16a' or 16a is pressed. The head 13b and the head 13e bothprovide a carbonated mixed drink (FIG. 3) depending upon which switch16h or 16e is pressed; and, draft head 13d may be constructed to providea sweet water mixed drink or merely plain water for a cold water drinkdepending upon which switch 16d or 16d is pressed. If push buttoncontrols 22 are supplied then those identified by sutiix letterscorresponding with those applied to the electric switches provide thesame liow control effects above described.

As more particularly shown in FIG. 8 the head 25b comprises a casting26b flanged as at 27h to rest in the opening 28 in the floor 30 of theoverhang 12 where it is preferably secured by insulating plastic nut '29which shields the depending metal flange 37 from the atmosphere. As ineach head, head 2511 has a downwardly facing cavity 3112 defined by aninternally threaded wall 32 threadedly receives the upper end of thenozzle 13b. A water passageway 33b and a syrup passageway 34h areprovided in the head with their mouths 35 enlarged to receive the endsof tubing brazed therein as indicated at 36. The nozzle 45b whichhandles the syrup beyond the passageway 34h comprises a stem 46,5threaded at its upper end 47b to be received in sealed relationship withthe passage 34b by the joint made between the bottom of the recess 31band the upper shoulder of -a radial iiange 4gb upon the stern. Below theflange, the stem is` provided with a cylindrical surface and inexternally threaded as at 51b and internally threaded at the lower endas at 5211. Flats S311 upon the sides of the stem provide wrenchingsurfaces and a distributor screw 54h is received in the lower endpreferably having a conical end SSb for selective adjustment of syrupflow in combination with a castellated lower end of the stem indicatedat 57b. Moreover, the stern is provided with -a syrup check 841;preferably formed of a resilient rubber material and fitting over thelower end with normally compressed lips opening only when syrup underpressure is being forced down through the stem.

With the nozzle 13b removed, once the stem 45b is threaded into placeupon the dra-ft head body 25h, a collar 60h is slipped upwardly intoplace that has a flange seal 6111 on its upper surface engaging the body25!) in sealed relationship marginally around the recess 31b. The collarumbrellasoutwardly and downwardly to provide a surface first along atruste-conical surface as indicated at 66h and then terminates in adownwardly extending cylindrical wall 67h.

Below the collar 60h an umbrella guide 7017 telescoping upwardly on thestem and nestles in the collar with -a clearance of `approximately .003inch between its upper face and the frusto-conical surface of the collarto define an annular passage. An apron 72b on the guide extends belowthe wall 671) and curves outwardly as at 73b.

The guide 7Gb is preferably held in place by a compression spring 7711and lock-nut assembly 78b. 'The locknut is guided upon a cylindricalportion 50b and received upon la threaded portion 51b of the stem andwhen tightened it holds the guide rigidly in place. However, thecompression spring is received in -a cavity 80h to urge the guide intoplace whenever a looseness of the lock-nut places such a burden upon thespring. Thus, whenever the lock-nut is loosened the guide 70b is free todrop down to the extent permitted by the Spring whenever i-t is desiredto vary the back pressure upon the carbonated water.

Passage of carbonated water from the passage 33b, to the cavity 31b isunder the control of a check valve 80b which opens with the ii-ow of thecarbonated water as held in closed relationship by a spring 81b whosetension is adjustably established by a set screw 82h. Preferably itrequires a pressure in the range of between 10 and 30 pounds per squareinch to open the check valve so that an effective back pressure ismaintained against the carbonated water in excess of 10 p.-s.i. Thisdiscourages ebullition of CO2 gas from the water in the refrigeratedconduit when the flow of the carbonated water stops and the iiow controlvalve closes.

The collector 13b is preferably formed with its inner collecting surfacepassing close to the outward curve 73b to receive the water therefrom ineasy, undisturbed gravity tiow relationship. The lower end of thecollector conducts the water flowing therethrough over the compressedlips to keep them washed clean of any syrup upon the outside thereof.

In the embodiment shown in FIGQ 9 the stem is constructed to discharge acoarse or fine stream of carbonated water, all the other featuresremaining substantially the same `as described in connection with theembodiment shown in FIG. 8, like numerals identifying like parts. InFIG. 9 lthe stem 46a has lan enlarged portion 90u therein in which isreceived a valve 91a urged upwardly by compression spring 93a to closeat its headed end against a conical va-lve seat 92a. The lower end ofthe stem 46a is .threaded as at 94a to receive a nozzle 95a thereinwhose inner end is drilled for flow and to guide the stem of the valve91a and also to establish a predetermined tension upon the spring 93a. Alock-nut 96a holds the assembly together with the element 78a slidablein place instead of threaded in place. Here again the valve ispreferably set to open in thepdirection of ow of carbonated waterentering the passage 34a at a pressure from 10 to 30 p.s.i., therebyserving the same function as the valve a in the coarse stream line 33aand also serving to establish a flow-retarding effect upon the movementof the carbonated water with a semi-metering effect.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 5 `the plain water passage 33d is wideopen. The shield 60a' has passages 69d therethrough for the free ow ofWater from the passage 33d to the collector 13d. The center stemreceived in passage 34d, however, which serves as la syrup feed issomewhat different from-that disclosed in FIG. 8 in that it does nothave the resilient collar on it but does have a cross -apertured screw97d `at the bottom thereof with a squared end portion 99d. The screw canbe threaded in and out of the stem 45d to permit the syrup to be meteredthrough the cross `aperture ports and flow through the enlarged opening98d which provides a clearance between thel lower end of the stern andthe adjusting screw so that the syrup is carried into contact with thewater as is leaves the nozzle 13d.

'I'he refrigeration of `the plain and carbonated water that isldischarged through the heads is Iaccomplished in the coil bank,preferably of ten or eleven coils in which alternate coils comprisesections of a continuous refrigerant conduit. The other coils that aresandwiched between the refrigerant coils are made of stainless steel andcarry the plain or carbonated water. In event there is expected to be aheavy drain upon the pl'ainwater at the draft station, several coilsconnected in series can be provided if desired, to assure completecooling of the plain water under extra heavy withdrawal conditions. InFIG. 7 only one coil is shown for each water outlet whereas in FIGS. 2and 4 a suicient number of coils is shown to demonstrate that as many asthirteen or more coi-ls may be present in the coil bank with ample spacetherearound to receive adequate amounts of insulating material.

The coils in the coil bank 100 as also representative of cold plates areof a helical pancake form stacked one upon the other and adhered to eachother in intimate heat exchange relationship to form a unitary member bybeing dipped in solder or other high heat conductive material whichjoins them permanently together. An extra loop 101 of the refrigerantconduit 102 is brazed in heat exchange contact as at 89 (FIG. 5) alongthe tops of the heads to assure refrigeration of liquid present in theheads.

The coil bank is shown in place in FIG. 2 and the syrup conduits 104which also lead to the heads are either laid through a non-refrigeratedchannel (not shown) or embedded in the insulating medium where theyextend from the bottom to the top of the station housing with minimumrefrigeration being applied thereto because the syrup as stored in tanksis already refrigerated adequately before entering the conduits. Asalready mentioned the outlet ends 105 of the coils bearing water andsyrup are brazed to the heads in open communication with the pasasgestherein and the inlets 106 of the coils and conduits are connected tothe outlets 107 of a bank of valves 110, suixes being used to identifythe specitic elements, which preferably comprise electrically operatedsolenoid valves supported upon a bracket '111 from which they can beremoved for servicing or replacement. Preferably the valves 110 shownare provided with elongated valve stems 112 exposed inside of the sodafountain cabinet and provided with heads 113 at their ends that can -beoperated manually if desired by the push buttons 22 through push rods114 that operate levers 115 pivoted as at 116 and engaging the valvestems 112 below the heads 113.

In order to accommodate switches for the electrical operation of thevalves 110 as already mentioned, the wall of the station next to theoperator just below the ends of the nozzles 13 is offset inwardly toprovide a horizontal channel 120 which receives the switches 17. Thischannel is closed by the plate 18 that has the finger press portion 16located below the appropriate nozzles. At its right end the channel 120is open to the bottom of the draft station through a conduit 121 (FIG.3) 1ocated in the near right-hand corner of the housing 11 as formed bya quarter-round sheet metal member 121a laid in the corner when theinsulation is poured. The plate 18 is fastened in waterproofrelationship marginally around the channel opening to prevent moisturefrom entering the channel and substantially ush with the base of thewall 15.

Thus, the plate 18 which closes the channel, serves as an access platewhich carries the micro-switches if the solenoids are energized bymechanical switches, or it can carry antenna buttons 122 if thesolenoids are energized electronically. As already mentioned wheremicroswitches are employed, the plate is of thin, stainless steel sheetmetal mechanically upset with oppositely offset concentric rings so thatthe center cavity centers the finger of an operator and is displaceableinwardly by a slight finger pressure at the approximate level where theends of an operators lingers would be located when holding a glassproperly under the nozzle. It will be appreciated that with themicro-switches mounted as already described their operation isaccomplished through a grounded member with no danger of electricalshock when the operator touches the center portion to actuate the switchbehind it.

In the event electronically controlled switches are employed the antennabuttons 122 (FIG. 6) are located in the hollow central portion wherenger movement comes very close thereto where a glass is held under thenozzle. With capacitance control a thyratron tube is employed and thegrid thereof is connected to the button 122. Such a circuit is wellknown in the art as where the control of the tube is lost and currentflows when the environmental A C. capacitance present in an operatorsbody is applied to the antenna button by close proximity thereto of anoperators fingers.

With either type of valve actuating devices, a timer (not shown) may beemployed if desired which is set to permit a predetermined amount ofliquid to be dispensed before the solenoid valve is deactivated. Where atimer is employed, capacitance buttons such as 122 may be arranged alongthe vertical edge of the overhang as at 123 if two handed operation isdemanded by a user. However, it is not preferable to have the buttonslocated on the overhang as at 123 because if the glass is set on thedrain grille 14 the fall of the carbonated water from the nozzle to theglass knocks much of the carbonation out of it.

Where two or more valves are actuated simultaneously to provide a mixeddrink, they are electrically connected in parallel to be actuated by asingle switch, and, the levers already described are correspondinglyyoked together to be actuated by a single push button 22. On the otherhand where as in the draft head 25d water may be drawn separately or incombination with a syrup, water alone may be drawn by the water valvel10n" by switch press 16dl whereas both valves 110d and 110d areactuated by the switch press 16d. This separation of operations isaccomplished in the electrical connections for the appropriate solenoidvalves. The switch 17d behind the nger press 16d is a double pole switchwith one pole actuating valve 110d and the other pole actuating valve110d. The switch 17d" (not specifically shown) behind the finger press16d is a single switch operating only the valve 110d.

Having described the elements incorporated in a draft station referenceis now made to FIG. 7 in which the general organization is laid outdiagrammatically in connection with sources of supply for the liquidsand refrigerant. A refrigerant compressor and condenser is indicated at130. A pressure regulating valve 131 is shown in the suction line 132 ofthe refrigerant coil 102. ln the liquid line 133 is located theexpansion valve 134 having a thermo-responsive bulb indicated at 135.The bulb 135 is surrounded in heat transfer relationship with conduitinlet sections 1066!', 106C", 106b, 106er and 10611 and the vacuum line132 at the points where the break lines x in these conduits are shownabove the respective valves.

The coils of the coil bank 100 are shown in their relative positions asindicated by the numerals 102 for the refrigerant coils and the numerals104 with appropriate suffixes for the plain water as at 104d' and thecarbonated water as at 104e", 104b, 104a and 104a. A supply line forplain water is indicated at with one connection 141 therefrom leading tothe valve 11051 and another connection 142 leading to the pump 143 whoseoutlet 144 is directed into a carbonator tank 145. A supply of CO2 underhigh pressure is indicated at 150 with a pressure reducing valve at 151to lower the pressure to 100 pounds per square inch in a supply' T 152,one leg of which supplies a second regulator 153 with CO2 whose pressureis reduced to approximately l5 p.s.i. in the low pressure CO2 line 154leading to syrup tanks 155e and 15511. The outlets from the tanks 155comprise liquid eduction conduits 156C', and 155b, respectively,connected to inlet of the solenoid valves 110C and 110b.

The T line 152 of CO2 at 100 p.s.i. supplies CO2 gas through the line160 to the bottom of the carbonator 145 from whence the CO2 is bubbledup through the Water present in the carbonator tank 145. Also connectedto the T line 152 is a surge tank 161, and the surge tank 161 in turn isconnected to the top of the carbonator 145 by a conduit 162 having acheck valve 163 therein opening in the direction arrow indicated by thenumeral 164.

It will be appreciated that with water only absorbing four or five timesits volume of CO2 gas, water displacement occurs in the carbonator underthe action of the pump at a greater rate than absorption occurs and gastrapped beyond the regulator 151 is subjected to com- 9 pression whichtends toraise its pressure indeterminately depending upon the efficiencyof the carbonator during water injection. The surge tank 161substantially reduces this tendency without any loss of CO2 by receivingCO2 through the check valve 162 while water is being injected into thecarbonator and thereafter rebubbling the CO2 gas back into thecarbonator 145 through the line 160 while carbonated water is beingwithdrawn from the carbonator between water injection cycles. Carbonatedwater is supplied from the carbonator 145 to the valves 110e", 110b,110a and 110a through a header 164abc.

An additional syrup tank shown in broken. lines 155d may be provided tosupply Syrup to the valve 110d" and line 10611" for use with the plainwater mixed drink, if desired, in a manner already described. Inassembling the unitary draft station the coil bank 100 is preferablystaggered as shown in FIG. 2 and after the heads 25 are silver solderedon the outlet ends 105 of the respective refrigerated coils 104 and thesyrup conduits 106, and after all the inlets to the coils and conduitsare located where they ultimately will be fastened to the valve banks,the coil bank is ready to be slipped into place.

The housing 11 as shown in FIG. 2 is so constructed and is shapedaesthetically and mechanically so that the coil bank 100 with the heads25 on it can be bodily secured in proper place by steering the upperpart into the housing. The housing 11 is inverted, the heads are slippedpast the channel 120 and gradually lowered into the position shownthrough the bottom of the housing 10 which at that time is open. Thering nuts 29 are fastened and a bottom closure plate 140 is located inplace over part of the bottom opening as provided with a downwardlyopening channel 141 along the left-hand edge thereof that extends alonga portion or all of the length of the housing 11 with open spaceremaining between the channel 141 and the bottom edge of the wall 15 ofthe housing.

In the channel 141 the expansion valve bulb 135 for the refrigerant islocated with its associated contacting inlets of the water coils andfrom this channel they pass into the space above the plate 140.Thereafter, pellets .of a foam type insulating plastic are inserted intothe housing 11 and steam under pressure is applied thereto to blow themup and fill all the interstices and space available around the coils andparts clear to the level of the plate 140 and channel 141 with anyexcess swelling out of the opening between the channel 141 and the frontwall 15. Thereby all refrigerated parts are firmly embedded in theinsulating material and held in place thereby as a permanent assembly.Thereafter Hydrolene is poured in to the opening between the channel 141and the plate 15 as at 142 to hermetically seal the housing assembly.The draft station 10 is then set upon the counter top, fastened inplace, and all connections made as already described.

In operation, whenever a glass is placed beneath the nozzle 13 and thecorresponding finger press 16 pressed, the corresponding valve isenergized and liquid will ow from the nozzle. If it be for a mixeddrink, the carbonated water and syrup flow at predetermined rates untilthe valves are deactivated. If a soda is being made the iinger press 16ais pressed for a ue stream when such is desired and the finger press16a" is actuated for a coarse stream of carbonated water when desired.

Once a valve is deactivated, ow stops and the liquid so controlled iskept at 40 F. or less in its respective coil. Carbonated water howeveris preferably retained by the outlet flow pressure release valvesdescribed under back pressure of between `l0 and 30 p.s.i. Thus, theback pressure established upon the carbonated water along with thetemperature at which it is kept prevents ebullition of the CO2 gas andwhen ilow is again induced by opening of the valve 110, no carbonationis lost due 10 to the low temperature at which the carbonated water iskept and the efficiency of the nozzles described.

Consequently, it will be apparent from the description and the drawingsrelating thereto how the objects of the invention are attained and tothose skilled in the art it will be readily apparent how variousmodifications and changes can be made without departing from the spiritof the invention, the scope of which is commensurate with the appendedclaims.

What is claimed is:

l. In a drink dispenser, a draft head having two passagewaystherethrough, means for dispensing syrup through one passagewayincluding a flow metering device accessible at said head, a conduitleading to said one passageway, and a flow control valve at the inlet ofsaid conduit; and means for dispensing carbonated water through theother passageway including a coil having its outlet connected to saidother passageway, a pressure operated valve accessible at said head fornormally closing said other passageway, and a ow control valve at theinlet of said coil; means for refrigerating said coil and the syrup, andmeans for operating said ow control valves simultaneously; and means for-insulating said head conduit and coil from contact with ambientatmosphere. y

2. In combination with a soda fountain having a counter and arefrigerated compartment below the counter, a draft station mounted onsaid counter over said compartment including an L-shaped housing, draftheads mounted in said housing and including depending nozzles, waterconducting coils in said housing with their outlets connected to saiddraft heads and with their inlets extending into said compartment, meansfor refrigerating said coils defining a refrigerated space,valvesdisposed in one of saidv refrigerated spaces connected to saidcoils for controlling the flow of water therethrough to Said draftheads, and means below said nozzles carried by said housing `foroperating said valves at a level in close proximity to said nozzles.

3. In combination with a soda fountain having` a counter, a draftstation including a housing having an overhanging projection, draftheads mounted in said housing within said projection and includingnozzles of low heat conductive material depending from said projection,

water conducting coils in said housing with their outlets connected tosaid draft heads, means for refrigerating said coils including arefrigerating coil in intimate heat exchange contact with said draftheads, a pluralityv of means for controlling `flow of water through saiddraft heads and means carried by said housing below said projection foroperating said valves at a level in close proximity to said nozzles.

4. A beverage draft station comprising -an L-shaped hollow casing havinga vertical main portion and a lateral overhanging portion at the topthereof having a bottom wall, a draft head rigidly mounted .in saidlateral por# tion on the upper side of said bottom wall, means forsupplying said draft head with a plurality of beverage liquids to bemixed and dispensed downwardlyv by said draft head, said means includinga conduit and a flow control valve interconnecting the draft head and asource of liquid supply under pressure for each liquid, a cooling unitsubstantially filling the main portion of said casing, said cooling unitcomprising a plurality of groups of flat coils of tubing, the coils ofone group being alternated with those of another group so that no twocoils of any one group are next to each other vand with adjacent coilsin face to face heat conducting relation with each other, one of saidconduits including one of said groups of coils, means for supplying uidrefrigerant to another group of said coils, an insulating materialsubstantially filling the spaces within said vertical portion aroundsaid conduits and enclosing and insulating said draft head from saidlateral portion of the casing, a channel within the front wall of saidvertical main portion, solenoid means for operating said valves, andswitch means for operating said solenoid means located in said channelbelow and to the rear of said draft head.

5. A beverage draft station comprising an L-shaped hollow casing havinga vertical main portion and a lateral overhanging portion at the topthereof having a bottom wall, a draft head rigidly mounted' in saidlateral portion on the upper side of said bottom wall, means forsupplying said draft head With Ia plurality of beverage liquids to bemixed and dispensed downwardly by said draft head, said means includinga conduit and a flow control valve interconnecting the dr-aft head' anda source of supply under pressure for each liquid, a cooling unitsubstantially filling the main portion of said casing, said cooling unitcomprising a plurality of groups of tiat coils of tubing, the coils ofone group being alternated with those of another group with adjacentcoils disposed in face to face heat conducting relation with each other,one of said conduits including one of said groups of coils for water,means for supplying iuid refrigerant to another group of coils, aninsulating material substantially filling the spaces within saidvertical portion around said conduits and enclosing and insulating saiddraft head from said lateral portion of the casing, another of saidconduits being connected to a source of syrup under pressure and'extending through said insulating material out of heat exchange contactwith said coils and the other conduits.

6. A beverage draft station comprising an L-shaped hollow casing havinga vertical main portion and a lateral overhanging portion at the topthereof having a bottom wall, a draft head rigidly mounted in saidl-ateral portion on the upper side of said bottom wall, means forsupplying said draft head with a plurality of beverage liquids to bemixed and dispensed downwardly by said draft head, said means includinga conduit and a iiow control valve interconnecting the draft head and asource of supply under pressure for each liquid, a cooling unitsubstantially filling the main portion of said casing, said cooling unitcomprising a plurality of groups of flat co-ils of tubing, the coils ofone group being alternated with those of another group with adjacentcoils in face to face heat conducting relation with each other, one ofsaid conduits including one of said groups of coils, means for supplyinguid refrigerant to another group of coils disposed in part in intimateheat exchange contact with said draft head, an insulating materialsubstantially filling the spaces within said vertical portion aroundsaid conduits and enclosing and insulating said draft head from saidlateral portion of the casing.

7. A beverage draft station comprising a hollow casing having a verticalmain portion a lateral overhanging portion at the top thereof having abottom wall, a plurality of draft heads rigidly mounted in said lateralportion on the upper side of said bottom wall, means for supplying eachdraft head with a plurality of beverage liquids to be dispenseddownwardly thereby, said means including a conduit and a How controlvalve interconnecting the draft heads and a source of supply underpressure for each liquid, a cooling unit substantially filling the mainportion of said casing comprising a plurality of groups of fiat coils oftubing, the coils of one group being alternated with those of anothergroup with adjacent coils in face to face heat conducting relation witheach other, one of said conduits including one of said groups of coils,means for supplying tiuid refrigerant to another group of coils, aninsulating material substantially tilling the spaces within saidvertical portion around said conduits Iand enclosing and insulating saiddraft heads 12 from said lateral portion of the casing, and nozzles oflow heat conductive material shielding said draft heads in part fromambient temperatures.

8. In combination with a soda fountain having a counter and arefrigerated space therebelow, a beverage draft station comprising anL-shaped hollow casing having a vertical main portion on said counterand a lateral overhanging projection at the top thereof having a bottomwall, a draft head rigidly mounted in said overhanging projection on theupper side of said bottom wall, means for Supplying said draft head witha plurality of beverage liquids to be mixed and dispensed downwardly bysaid draft head, said means including a conduit and a flow control valveinterconnecting the draft head and a source of supply for each liquiddisposed in said refrigerated space, a cooling unit substantiallyfilling the main portion of said casing, said cooling unit comprising aplurality of groups of coils of tubing in face to face heat conductingrelation with each other, one of said conduits including one of saidgroups of coils, means for supplying fluid refrigerant to another groupof coils disposed in part in intimate heat exchange contact with saiddraft head of coils, an insulating material substantially filling thespaces within said vertical portion around said conduits and enclosingand insulating said draft head from said lateral portion of the casing,depending nozzle means of low heat conductive material shielding saiddraft head in part from ambient temperatures and means carried by saidvertical main portion below said projection for operating said valves,disposed at a level in close proximity to and behind said nozzles.

9. The combination called for in claim 8 in which another of saidconduits is connected to a source of syrup under pressure and extendsthrough said insulating material out of heat exchange contact with saidcoil and the other conduits.

10. In combination with a soda fountain having a counter and arefrigerated compartment below the counter, a draft station mounted onsaid counter over said compartment including an L-shaped housing, draftheads mounted in said housing and including depending nozzles, waterconducting coils in said housing with their outlets connected to saidldraft heads and with their inlets extending into said compartment,means for refrigerating said coils, manually operated dispensing valvesin said compartments connected to the inlets of said coils forcontrolling the flow of water therethrough, means carried by saidhousing for operating said valves at a level below said nozzles whereinsaid valve operating means includes switches mounted in a channel onsaid housing, and a plate carrying said switches and closing Saidchannel and having tiexible wall portions displaceable to actuate saidswitches selectively.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS551,966 Holly Dec. 24, 1895 1,586,745 Hulse June 1, 1926 1,663,683Doughty Mar. 27, 1928 2,263,977 Brackett Nov. 25, 1941 2,396,460 DiPietro Mar. 12, 1946 2,500,684 Johnson Mar. 14, 1950 2,554,322 BuchhomMay 22, 1951 2,586,499 Anderson Feb. 19, 1952 2,650,808 Cohen et al.Sept. l, 1953 2,678,549 Campbell et al. May 18, 1954 2,681,549 MaxwellJune 22, 1954 2,845,964 Harland Aug. 5, 1958

